Off The Grid - Powering Internet Services In Remote Areas

Can a small UK-based technology company help kick start the mobile internet revolution in those areas of the developing world that have yet to be connected to an electricity supply?. Daniel Becerra, one-time design consultant and co-founder of Buffalo Grid believes the answer to that question is 'yes.'

Founded in 2010 as a spin out from London's Royal College of Art, the company manufactures and supplies solar-powered charging hubs, designed to be used in small villages and towns that have yet to be hooked up to power grids. The premise behind the venture is simple. At a time when the UN is predicting that the mobile internet will be the biggest contributor to growth in remote rural locations across the developing world, telecoms companies have been relatively quick to erect masts and roll out services. However, without access to reliable power supplies, handset users often have to travel for many miles simply to find a source of power to charge their devices.

Buffalo Grid's solution is a small box – about the size of a brief case - powered by the sun and equipped with multiple USB charging points. The company's plan is to work with “entrepreneurs” on the ground who will offer a charging service to local communities. The result – a convenient source of power and quite possibly a population who will use their handsets more regularly and, thus, take advantage of available mobile internet services to a greater degree. “The mobile internet is the gateway to services, “ says Becerra. “And by offering a people a convenient way to power up their phones, you are opening up the power of the internet. “

Accountable Technology

The principle behind Buffalo Grid isn't necessarily new. In various parts of the “developing world” local businesses are offer phone charging via their own generators, but Buffalo Grid's offering layers on technologies that have enabled the company to develop what it sees as scalable business plan.

For instance, a key feature of the box in an customer identification system based on text messaging. Rather than simply going a long to a charging point and paying a fee, mobile users register and authenticate themselves via texts. Thus, the system knows who the users are and that information is relayed back from the boxes on the ground to Buffalo Grid. This enables the company to know how many users its partner entrepreneurs are servicing and revenues can be split accordingly. It's also a system that does not require cash to change hands.

The accountability of Buffalo Grid's box opens the door for partnerships with Telecoms and internet companies who might – for example – fund charging points as part a service package. “Our strategy is to engage with the internet giants and when we get close to those will also engage with the telecoms companies,” says Becerra.

Buffalo Grid is targeting regions such as India, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and each will have its own requirements. As things stand versions of the box have been rolled out in India and the company intends to use that experience as the basis for making improvements before going into full production. In addition to powering phones the box can also power lights and medical equipment.

Although a young company, Buffalo Grid has already made something of a splash. Becerra has spoken in at the United Nations and in July 2014 the company won a BT (British Telecom) Ingenious Award.

There are undoubtedly challenges ahead, not least in terms of forging partnerships with a telecoms industry that has traditionally been slow to engage with small businesses. The company is also working hard to come up with pricing models for the various target markets. However, if Buffalo Greed succeeds in its goals it will demonstrate that even a small company can make a big difference in a sector that is seen as vital for economic growth.

I am a UK-based journalist and author with more than a decade's experience of writing about startups, tech companies and fast growth businesses. My career in journalism began as Business Editor of BBC World television's pan-European text news services. From there I went on t...